“Marlowe” (2022) starring Liam Neeson / Z-View
Marlowe (2022)
Director: Neil Jordan
Screenplay: William Monahan, Neil Jordan based on THE BLACK-EYED BLONDE by Benjamin Black
Stars: Liam Neeson, Diane Kruger, Jessica Lange.
Tagline: Los Angeles, 1939. Outside the spotlight lies a city of secrets.
The Plot…
Phillip Marlowe (Neeson), a LA Private Eye, is hired by the heiress Clare Cavendish (Kruger) to find her missing lover. Marlowe quickly learns that the absent Romeo was drunk in the gutter when he was run over by a boozed up driver. While making his report to Cavendish, she informs Marlowe that she’s seen her lover after the date he was supposedly killed.
Marlowe decides to dig deeper and soon uncovers corruption that runs deep into the movers and shakers of the city.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
In Raymond Chandler’s novels, Phillip Marlowe’s age ranges from 33 to 42. Liam Neeson was 70 for this role. That makes him the oldest actor to play Marlowe by nearly ten years. Robert Mitchum was 58 and 61 when he played the part. At one point in this film, Marlowe (Neeson) says to himself, “I’m too old for this shit.” I agree.
Neil Jordan does an excellent job of making the film feel like it is 1939 in LA. One goof that jumped out at me is when Marlowe tips a hatcheck girl $20. That is equivalent to almost $450 today.
I’m a fan of most movie adaptations of Phillip Marlowe, but this one was just okay. The film moved slowly, and Neeson just didn’t work as Marlowe for me.
Marlowe (2022) rates 2 of 5 stars.